The first Composting is EZ with Elisa Zazzera has blown Roots & Wings’ simmering composting commitment into a steady heat—of 110 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact! (see below for details)
Two free Composting is EZ workshops are coming up this month: Thursday, July 16, a general class, and Thursday, July 30, geared specifically for apartment dwellers. Both classes are 6:30 – 7:30 PM in The Kitchen Garden. Register here!
The eight of us attending
the first Composting is EZ workshop were already involved in composting. Elisa
asked each of us to tell the group about our composting habit. We quickly moved
from this composting confessional to composting coaching. Elisa looked over
Roots & Wings’ compost bins, recommended two handy tools—a compost crank
aerator and a compost thermometer, and answered all of our questions with can-do enthusiasm.
Elisa gave us the encouragement we needed to open Roots & Wings' compost bins to the community.
CSA Manager Nancy Delmerico followed
up by inviting all CSA members to participate in Roots
& Wings composting. She says, “it’s wonderful to see people coming on Sunday mornings with containers and bags full of kitchen scraps.”
CSA member David Starkey,
co-owner of Sweet Grass Grill in Tarrytown, and Tomatillo in Dobbs Ferry, asked, "Can we bring
restaurant veggie scraps? We compost at Sweet Grass but never had the room in
Dobbs." Roots & Wings' Gabriela Munoz checked with Elisa Zazzera and got the thumbs
up on veggie scraps but a “no” for meal leftovers, as they are likely to
include oils/fats and could perhaps have some animal products mixed in.
And Linda Jo Plat, dropped off rabbit manure from CommunityNursery School.
Says Marcello
Taiano, Roots & Wings Garden Manger, “We used our new composting thermostat
and found that our compost pile was at 110 degrees. The optimal range for organic material to break down is 120 - 170 degrees Fahrenheit, so we're getting there!"